


a foolish heart

by SiderumInCaelo



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Drinking, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-23 21:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17087738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiderumInCaelo/pseuds/SiderumInCaelo
Summary: Tina winds up drinking at the Hog's Head, and finds the barman to be an unexpected source of commiseration.





	a foolish heart

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from the song "I Was a Fool" by Tegan and Sara.
> 
> This is set shortly after the scene at Hogwarts at the end of the movie.

After Newt had spoken to Dumbledore, he had made for the Forbidden Forest, saying that he had missed looking for creatures in it.  Jacob had accepted the offer to accompany him, but Tina declined.  She wasn’t in the mood for company, especially company that kept shooting her concerned looks through their own grief.

She listlessly walked into Hogsmeade, which she had intended to explore until the arranged time to reunite at the Three Broomsticks, but the streets were busy with people, and the thought of mingling with the crowds made Tina feel inexplicably exhausted.  She stuck to the edge of the town instead, and had even begun to wonder if she should’ve stayed with Newt and Jacob after all, if only to avoid being alone with her thoughts, when she spotted a pub that was rather small and slightly derelict, but, more importantly, looked out of the way and uncrowded.

She passed under a sign proclaiming it to be the Hog’s Head and entered.  There were other people inside but only a few, and Tina was able to take a seat at a bar a good distance from any of them.  The pub looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years, as did several of its patrons, and Tina distantly thought that she would feel out of place here, had she the space for that sort of emotion.

She ordered a firewhisky and drank it perhaps faster than she should have, for lack of anything else to do.  She was feeling distinctly fuzzy by the time she finished her second drink, but signaled for a third anyway.

The barman slid it over, but not without giving her a look.  “Who are you trying to forget?” he asked.

“What makes you think I’m trying to forget anyone?”

The barman just raised an eyebrow.  “When people drink like you are, they’re usually trying to forget someone.  Bad break-up, was it?”

It was a reasonable assumption, but it made Tina furious.  “I’m not here because of a silly little _break-up_ ,” she said, aiming for a sneer, but it was ruined by her voice wobbling at the end, and she took another sip of her drink to fortify herself.

“Then why are you here?”

“Like it’s any of your business,” she snorted.

“It’s my business if you get so drunk you throw up or pass out, which seems to be what you’re aiming for.”

Perhaps she’d be more circumspect in other situations, but she was tired and on the way to being drunk and maybe venting would help, a little.  “My sister joined Grindelwald,” she blurted out, and those words were like a dam opening.  “And people keep telling me that we’ll ‘get her back,’ that she’ll ‘come around,’ like joining up with a murderous would-be dictator is just a _mistake_ ,” she spat.

There was a pause, and when the barman finally said, “My condolences,” it was in a much more serious tone of voice than he had used previously.

He resumed cleaning the bar and Tina assumed her admission had discouraged him from further conversation, but after several long minutes he returned to her.  “My brother supported Grindelwald,” he said quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Tina said automatically, taken aback.  Then, feeling like she was prying but desperate to know more, she prompted, “Support _ed_ , past tense?”

“He came to his senses in the end,” he said, sounding unimpressed, and _oh_ Tina wished she didn’t understand why.  “But only after… it doesn’t matter.”

“Do you ever see him?” she asked tentatively when he failed to elaborate.

“Sometimes.  When I can’t avoid it.  Sorry,” he added, and the pity in his voice would be unbearable coming from anyone else.  “I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear.  But like you said, it’s not the sort of thing you can come back from.”

“I don’t know how to love her after this, but I don’t know how to not love her either,” Tina admitted, and took a gulp of her drink to distract from the burning in her eyes.  “How do you manage?”

The barman shrugged.  “Poorly, most of the time.  If you manage better, let me know how.”

“Will do,” Tina replied dutifully, though they both knew it was unlikely to happen.  She drained the rest of her glass and checked her watch; Newt and Jacob would be looking for her soon.  “Thanks for the firewhisky and sympathy,” she said as she paid for her drinks.

“Anytime,” the barman replied in farewell.

The world swayed a little as Tina stood up, but she felt steadier once she was out in the cold air, walking towards the Three Broomsticks.  And maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the conversation, but Tina found that the prospect of company no longer felt quite so daunting.


End file.
